Horizon (Book One)
by Mirage1234
Summary: A murderer is on the loose in StarClan. Cats are disappearing one by one. The residence of StarClan are in widespread panic: a solution has been devised, but not every cat likes it. Another cat must be found. One just as dangerous. After all, it takes a murderer to know a murderer, right?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

**Okay, I'd like to give credit to this oneshot to rainystormystarry, also known as Spire. Her review on the Curse of Beauty inspired me to write something more mature. :D**

**And in my opinion, this is by far the most beautiful yet horrible thing I've ever written. It includes a character that I created for a story also called Horizon that I deleted, but the character was so good that I decided I hadn't finished with him yet. Aso includes two other of my OC's but all the other cats are proper characters.**

**Oh yeah, and I tried to get names that would fit the characters appearances… in case you're picky about that. :)**

**That's all I'm gonna say because I don't want to give anything away.**

**Note, this may turn out to be quite a short story, but I'm hoping it will be of a good length.**

**Please RR.**

* * *

**Horizon: (Book One)**

No one knew why Amberheart was in the Dark Forest.

It baffled everyone. Even cats in StarClan were puzzled: it just seemed illogical. How could a cat so kind, so loving, so likeable and so handsome, be so _evil_ that he had to be cast off into the shadows, amongst the likes of Tigerstar, Brokenstar and Hawkfrost? It was a mystery that no one had been able to solve for generations, ever since he appeared in the Dark Forest. And all the cats in StarClan that could've of possibly remembered him had all faded away moons ago, so there were no cats that had the knowledge to tell the story. No one except Amberheart.

But the strange thing about it, was that he never seemed to fade.

The punishment of the Dark Forest was that there was no water, no food there. The cats banished to the place were starved of water and food for the time, no matter how big or small, they had to serve. It was torturous, and almost cruel- but never as cruel as the crimes the cats had committed in their lifetime. The time they served as penance in the Dark Forest was determined by how how long the cats in the living world remembered them by.

And Amberheart had been there for so long that no cats in heaven or hell could say how long he had been truly alive in memory. Perhaps his crimes were so horrific, and so outrageous, that he lived on in the nursery stories and rhymes that the elder's repeated to the kits, and the kits repeated to their kits.

The mystery was only solved when a cat of StarClan was sent as a messenger into the Dark Forest with an offer to make.

* * *

Skytail sat at the border between StarClan and the Dark Forest, twitching her paws hesitantly. She stared forward into the trees and shadows where she had been made to promise never to go unless on strict orders from StarClan. Suddenly, she found herself wishing she had never accepted this mission. Her long tail (the feature which had given her her suffix) curled over her paws and her sky blue eyes looked up, searching for any light projected from the sky in the Place of No Stars. But of course, she found none.

She closed her eyes and thought of the previous day.

**...**

_'Skytail.'_

_A female voice echoed into the she-cat's eardrums, making her jolt awake from her daydream. She sat alone, a good few metres away from everyone else who was dozing underneath the light of the stars. She realised she must have fallen asleep, and quickly she broke into a fit of frantic washing._

_'Bluestar!' She said, nervously. 'I'm sorry, I didn't see you there.'_

_Bluestar purred and flicked her tail over Skytail's ear. 'It's alright,' she replied, before sitting down beside her, 'I wanted to talk to you anyway.'_

_Skytail couldn't help but feel almost honoured. Bluestar, though she would never admit it, had a large amount of power and influence in StarClan. To be honest, it was slightly hypocritical, because in StarClan everyone was _supposed _to be equal; whenever someone needed to take the lead, however, the cat was always Bluestar, or someone of her stature anyway._

_'Really?' Skytail asked, her sky-blue eyes prickling with interest. _Why would anyone as important as Bluestar want to talk with me?

_She asked Bluestar why, and quickly Bluestar stiffened and her eyes contracted a little. She turned her head. 'Well, um,' she paused before continuing, 'I'm certain you're aware of the situation we have in StarClan at the moment.'_

_Of course Skytail knew about the problem. She'd be surprised if anyone didn't know about it. It was the only thing that cats had been talking about for days._

_Twelve days earlier, Squirrelflight, a previous deputy of ThunderClan, had seemingly disappeared completely. At first, no one had really cared, but when she didn't reappear in two days, cats had started to get worried about her. Search parties were sent out into the furthest corners of StarClan territory, but still, she wasn't found. The situation only elevated, however, when another cat went missing. A young apprentice of ShadowClan named Birchpaw. At that point, whispers had started to go round- rumours of a StarClan cat going on some kind of sadistic murdering spree. And at the point when another cat disappeared, yet another apprentice called Swiftpaw, previously of ThunderClan, StarClan had been swept into widespread panic. There hadn't been another disappearance for four days now, but still cats were edgy, and protests were going round that no actions were being taken as precaution._

_Skytail shook her head a little and nodded at Bluestar, signalling for her to continue._

_'Well,' Bluestar said, 'a group of us got together and decided that it was time to take action.' At this, Skytail breathed a sigh of relief. 'And though some of us didn't think it was a very good idea, a solution has been devised.'_

_Skytail felt her pelt prickle with satisfaction. _Finally! _She felt like yowling. _We can actually sleep knowing that we'll be safe soon. _Though the she-cat felt a spark of confusion in her stomach. She still didn't know why Bluestar was telling her about this._

_'And what is this… plan?' Skytail asked eventually, her ears pricking up._

_Bluestar eyes shifted almost nervously from side to side, and she leaned in close to whisper in Skytail's ears. 'Bearing in mind we're basing this plan on the fact that the cause of the disappearances is, um, a resident of StarClan, we'll need a cat who can help us to catch the one responsible. And since no one in StarClan really has any experience with how a cat like this would act, we need to find someone who does.'_

_Skytail took a moment to process this. Bluestar was being extremely cryptic; Skytail thought that she understood though. She was saying that-_

_Skytail's eyes widened in shock, and she backed away a little. 'You mean,' she spluttered, 'this plan of yours, involves going to find another cat like this? Another cat- someone just as dangerous as this?'_

_Bluestar looked down, as if she was suddenly having doubts about the plan. 'Yes.' She answered finally. 'We came to conclusion that it takes a… murderer-' Bluestar seemed particularly hesitant to use this term- 'to know a murderer.'_

_For some reason, the white she-cat felt herself shudder. She could almost hear everything in her mind clicking into place as she started to understand. 'But the only place you'll find a murderer here is in the Dark Forest...'_

**...**

She sighed, suddenly feeling extremely stupid. _Why in the Clan's name did you accept this?_ She scolded herself mentally. Skytail remembered why. As soon as Bluestar had asked her whether she would like to be the one to act as StarClan's messenger into the Dark Forest, Skytail had felt her adventurous side start to whirl. Ever since kit-hood, her adventurous side had always got Skytail into trouble. As an apprentice, she remembered when she had chased after a badger and nearly got killed. Now, because of the same reasons, Skytail had once again put her life at risk.

She tried to shake off the uneasy feelings in her gut, and she reached forward with her paw to step into Dark Forest territory. She did so slowly, like a fawn taking it's first step. But slowly, she pressed her paw down on the uneven grass of the Dark Forest. She took a deep breath and stepped over fully into the Place of No Stars, leaving StarClan's glittering territory behind her.

She focused on her paw steps, ensuring that she just kept moving forward. Nerves flew around in her belly, but she forced herself to keep moving forward. Though Skytail couldn't help feeling somewhat curious as well. She had never been in the Dark Forest before, and ever since she had made the journey to StarClan, four seasons ago, she had been desperately bored. She had no experience with murderers and traitors either: she had died of old age, and had had a long, reasonably happy, life.

The trees were tall and their bark was rotten and black. No light seeped form the sky and down onto the ground. The branches of the dying trees smothered whatever light glowed from StarClan's lush territory. Skytail's eyes darted around slowly, searching for an assailant that could be hiding in the darkness of the undergrowth. As a ThunderClan cat, Skytail would have usually taken comfort in being in a forest, but this one just set her on edge. There was something evil about the place. Something that mirrored the sadistic minds of the cats who lived there.

Suddenly, she heard a twig snap, and instantly Skytail spun around to face the noise. She stared at the bush where she had heard the snap. 'Who are you?' She called out, her voice shaky.

When she received no reply, Skytail's voice hardened. 'Answer me!' She shouted.

Slowly, the she-cat began to back away from the undergrowth. She turned her head, looking to see if there was anything else nearby. She couldn't see, nor smell, anything. And when a long low growl echoed out from the first bush, Skytail only hastened her pace. She began to brake into a run when the growl turned into a snarl, and then suddenly-

'Stop!'

A commanding voice echoed through the forest. Skytail looked forward to see the shadow of another cat standing by the bushes in front of her. She couldn't see the cat, just a long shadow.

Skytail licked her lips nervously, before placing a paw step in front of her. But the voice came again.

'No!' It yowled. Now, Skytail realised it was the voice of a tomcat. It was a soft voice, full of confidence, and also urgency. It was hard to describe. Though there was a note of tenderness behind it, it was also somewhat firm and strong at the same time. 'Don't take another step.' It ordered.

She hesitated, before withdrawing her paw and standing totally still. She wanted to glance backwards over her shoulder, to see what was behind her, but the voice had told her not to move. She closed her eyes, thinking about the situation she was in. 'Why?' She called out, addressing the shadow. 'What is it?'

There was moment of quiet, before the voice came again. 'If I told you now, you'd probably panic.' It said, almost matter of factly.

Skytail shivered, but she continued to resist the urge to move. For some reason, she couldn't help but automatically trust the voice. She didn't know what it was, but she got the sense that whatever this voice was was friendly… hopefully more than whatever was behind her. 'What do I do?' She murmured.

'The thing behind you detects sound.' It replied. 'But it's sensors only have a limited range. If you can get away from it without making too much noise, you should be okay.'

Skytail processed the information carefully, before nodding. 'Okay.' She said back. For a second, she hoped that the voice would give her some reassurance, but when she received none, she closed her eyes. _Right, just move slowly,_ she told herself, struggling to stay calm, _and everything will be fine._

Gingerly_,_ she placed her paw forward and took a step. She heard a small growl from behind her and she instantly winced. Once more, she found herself seeking reassurance, but none came. Skytail took a momentary breath to ready herself, before starting to move again, even more cautiously than before. Her paws moved in rhythm like clockwork. Right step. Left step. Right step. Left step.

It wasn't long until she was standing next to the bush in where she knew the caster of the shadow was hiding. Her ears pricked when finally she heard the voice again, just above a whisper.

'Good job,' it said, relief tainting the voice. 'Now, just duck behind the bush with me. You'll be out of range by that time, and then and only then, we can make a dash for it.'

Skytail didn't say a word out of nerves, though her tail kinked over her back in a sign of acceptance. Almost instantaneously, the shadow disappeared, like the caster was stepping backwards. She shrugged her unease and the made the small paw steps that took her around the bush. She wanted to look behind, to see whatever was helping her, but something held her in place. Another part of her didn't want to.

Suddenly, there was a high pitched squeal. Skytail backed away, surprised by the sound. She realised it was the thing that had been following her, and she dropped into a crouch to hide her appearance. She squinted through the gaps in the thorn bush, trying to make out what it was. The darkness in the forest was traitorous, and didn't let her see it in full. But there was a strange cold eminence coming from it, something foreboding and evil.

'You were lucky to survive that.'

Skytail remembered the matter that was on her paws. Quickly, she turned around to take in the figure behind her.

It was another cat, thankfully. A tom. He wasn't that big, however his muscles were clear beneath his frame. His pelt was mix of white and brown, though it wasn't splodges of brown on a white background. The two colours blended into each other nicely, and his fur was very long and rich. His body was littered with battle scars that seemed to writhe like cornered snakes, but they didn't make him seem threatening. If anything, his appearance made him seem quite comforting and friendly. The only thing that Skytail didn't like about him were his eyes. They were deep amber, like the sun in the morning, and they were flecked with gold. They weren't disturbing, or anything like that, there was just something… unsettling about them.

'Yes.' Skytail replied finally, facing the tom. 'I suppose I am.'

He tilted his head to onside, as if he was assessing her. It occurred to her that he wasn't sure whether she was friendly or hostile either.

'Thank you.' Skytail quickly added, remembering her manners. 'I don't think I would've survived that without you.' She wasn't sure whether being polite to a Dark Forest cat was the correct thing to do or not-

Her eyes widened, and the memory hit her over the head like a sledgehammer. _He's a Dark Forest cat!_ She backed away, before realising that the thorn bush was in the way of her and escape. 'I- um-' She stuttered. 'I guess, I'm sorry to have bothered you. I'll be on my way-'

The tom stared at her, looking confused, before a glint of understanding entered his eyes. He shuffled his paws. 'Oh!' He exclaimed. 'I see. You're afraid of me because I'm a Dark Forest cat.'

What he said made Skytail pause for a moment. _How did he read me so well? _She wondered, before another voice in her head spoke. _Well you did back away from him with a terrified expression on your face. _She gathered herself before addressing him again. 'I'm not afraid of you.'

He snorted. 'Then why do you look so scared?' He said, almost challengingly. He didn't wait for her to answer before he continued, staring at the floor. 'Well, I suppose you would be. I'm sure other cats in StarClan tell you about some of the things that the residence of the Dark Forest did.'

For some reason, Skytail felt herself grow in confidence. She stood up to her usual height again, and stared him right in the eyes. 'And what makes you think that I'm a StarClan cat?' She demanded.

The tom's eyes contracted a little, before a bemused expression crossed his face. 'Not too hard too work out.' He commented, before beginning to groom his whiskers. 'Why else would you have stars in your paws?'

Skytail glanced at her paws; it crossed her mind what a glaring contrast the glimmering stars in her pelt would be to the gloomy darkness of the Place of No Stars. She glanced back up the tom, trying to hide the embarrassment in her face. He smiled at her.

This stopped her.

That small sign of affection was the one thing that made her think differently about the tom in front of her. Her logic was screaming at her internally, telling to get away from the cat, telling her that he was dangerous. He was a Dark Forest cat, after all. But… the only thing was that he didn't seem dangerous. At all. He was smiling at her in such a kindly way, a way that only displayed a cat that had, believe it or not, saved Skytail's life.

Gratitude filled her body as the thought crossed her mind._ He saved my life._

'What's your name?' She asked, sitting down upon her haunches comfortably. She had made the decision to trust this strange tomcat… for the moment, while she got to grips with her situation, anyway.

'My name?' The tom said, almost questionably. He sat back, looking a little surprised. 'In the Dark Forest, we don't usually use names, since no one really talks to each other.' His tail flicked from side to side. 'However, I remember in my first life, my clan-mates used to call me Amberheart.'

'Amberheart?' She repeated the name, before looking at his deep amber eyes, which she guessed was part of the inspiration for his name. 'The name suits you.' She added, finally.

Amberheart frowned, before unsheathing his claws inspecting them casually. 'I guess.' He murmured. Skytail couldn't help but feel self-conscious, and a little nervous, as she eyed the length and sharpness of his white claws. 'What's your's?' He offered.

The idea of revealing such a personal fact set her on edge a little, especially since she was revealing it to a complete stranger. Mind you, he had told her his, and it seemed childish not to. 'My name is Skytail.' She replied.

There were a few moments of silence, where the two cats just looked at each other. The unnerving quiet was broken by another high pitch squeal, similar to the one Skytail had heard earlier. She glanced around her, checking to see that there was nothing close. She looked back to see a worried look in Amberheart's eyes.

'It's not a good thing for a StarClan cat to be in the Dark Forest.' He said, darkly, before turning away from Skytail. 'You're drawing too much attention to us, and I can't allow you to head back for the border alone.'

Skytail's ears pricked at this, and she gazed at him, puzzled. 'Why not?' She snapped. 'I can take care of myself.'

He looked back. 'You're my responsibility now.' He replied simply, a note of sympathy in his voice. 'What would happen if you never went back to StarClan? They'd assume that one of the cats here killed you. That would lead to a huge scandal.' He rolled his eyes, exasperated. 'I remember the last time something like that happened. There were so many meetings…' He shook his head, realising he was becoming distracted. 'Look. You can't go back alone, because you'd probably get killed. That means you're gonna have to come with me.'

Now Skytail may have been okay with simply talking with a complete stranger from the Dark Forest, but she was most certainly not okay with going anywhere with him, let alone deeper into the Place of No Stars. She shook her head frantically. 'No.' She retorted bluntly. 'I won't.'

Amberheart stopped walking, and very slowly turned his head. Skytail stepped back a little. It was obvious that Skytail was trying his patience. 'Do you really want go down that line?' He asked, with an icy edge to his voice. Quickly, he controlled himself and continued. 'I promise I won't hurt you, is that alright? Upon my existence in the Dark Forest.' He raised his paw. 'As soon as morning breaks, I'll take you back to StarClan.'

Skytail had been a little shocked by the sudden icy edge to Amberheart's voice, but she guessed she could see the situation he was in. He had unnecessary danger on his paws, considering he had just saved a cat's life and apparently she was officially in his responsibility. Again, she found herself torn. One part of her was fine with following him, since he had saved her life, but the other was telling her to just make a dash for it.

Whether it was the right or the wrong decision, she decided on which path to take.

Slowly, she took a step forward, and began to follow Amberheart deeper into the Dark Forest. All of a sudden, she was far more aware of the fact that she felt like she was being looked at. Skytail glanced back at the rapidly moving figure in front of her. 'Where are we going?' She shouted.

'To my base.' He replied, before shaking a bit of dirt from his paw. 'Or what is my base at the moment.'

Skytail didn't feel like questioning his judgement, since his judgement had proved to be pretty good over the past few minutes. She quickened her pace so that she fell into step beside him, and she eyed him warily. 'How do you know when morning breaks in a place so dark?' She asked him.

'Easy.' Amberheart replied. He twisted his head and nodded to the left. 'You can see the light from StarClan through the branches.'

Skytail followed his gaze and saw that he was right. Through the gaps in the trees you could just about see some of the light seeping in from StarClan's territory. It was somewhat faded, since it was night and they were quite deep into the Place of No Stars. _Bluestar will probably be awaiting my return. _She mused.

Then she remembered. _Bluestar! My mission! In the Clan's name, I completely forgot about that!_ She shook her head in annoyance. _Great. Just great. The cats who decided on that stupid solution are probably thinking I'm dead now, and I'm wondering further away from safety with a cat I don't even know- hang on a second. _She recalled why she had come here. _I have to find a murderer to help StarClan's cause…_ _what about Amberheart?_

It was then that Amberheart's voice interrupted her thoughts. 'We're here.' He said.

Skytail looked up to see a straggly, makeshift den hidden underneath a large boulder. The entrance was covered in leaves, obviously being used as camouflage. Skytail took a sniff at it. It didn't look that comfortable. Neither did it look like there was enough space there to satisfy the needs of two cats. Amberheart had already ducked into the den and flicked his tail as a gesture for her to follow, but Skytail paused before she entered. For some reason, she got the feeling that the decision of entering or not was going to have a lager significance upon her life that she assumed.

She shook her head. _That's silly._ She thought, before carrying on in through the entrance.

It was dark inside, and as she had guessed, not that comfortable. The floor was covered with moss, but she knew that moss in the Dark Forest surely wasn't going to be that welcoming. She peered through the shadows until she made out the shape of Amberheart. He had sat down upon a small nest at the very back of the den, and he was eyeing her cautiously.

'I know there's not that much space, but you'll have to bare it.' He said at last. 'Like I promised, I'll take you back to StarClan at dawn. But you're going to have to promise me something as well.'

'And what is that?' Skytail returned.

'That you won't leave this den until dawn.' Amberheart said simply, raising his back leg and beginning to scratch the fur upon his cheek. 'I've already explained why, and now that you're in here, you're scent will be all over my den. That points the accusing paw towards me, don't you think?'

Skytail didn't answer. Her eyes never left Amberheart's shape: there was no way she was going to let him attack her unawares. It was just a precaution, but she was going to take it anyway.

As soon as Amberheart got the picture she had, though not verbally, agreed with him, the atmosphere of the conversation settled down considerably. He sat back, as if he had been assured of not only her safety but his own safety and flashed her a smile through the darkness. 'So what's a StarClan cat like you doing in the Dark Forest?' He asked, his voice taking a friendly tone.

Skytail blinked. His invitation to have a conversation was to her, most definitely unexpected. 'Um… well.' She began. 'I'm kind've of on a mission from StarClan authorities.' She said, choosing her words carefully.

'StarClan authorities!' Amberheart laughed. 'That makes it seem very official. What are you, some kind of spy?'

For some reason, this made Skytail blush. 'Not exactly.' She shuffled her paws awkwardly.

He tilted his head to one side. 'Well I guess what ever "mission", you're on, must be pretty important and also pretty desperate. Is that why you where hesitant to come with me, because you had to get back to your buddies in StarClan?'

Skytail frowned. _He did it_ again. Amberheart seemed to have a special gift for making very accurate predictions and deductions. 'What makes you think that?' Actually, Skytail was quite curious herself.

He shrugged. 'Obvious.' He replied. 'No offence, but when I saw you, you didn't exactly look prepared for this, meaning that you were probably sent on short notice. And it must be urgent for them to only send one cat instead of a patrol into the most dangerous place around.'

Skytail frowned. She was suddenly very aware that StarClan were making quite a bold risk in sending her into the Dark Forest alone. For the first time she asked a question. _Why me?_

Amberheart stretched his back out luxuriously. 'There's no chance you'll give me a bit of a brief on this mission of yours?' He asked. She heard the crack of his spine as he stretched. 'It sounds rather exciting.'

_This is your chance! _Skytail knew that she didn't really fancy meeting any of the other cats in the Dark Forest, and she doubted that any of them would be as friendly as Amberheart. Really, it was a miracle that she hadn't bumped into anyone that _wasn't_ hostile. 'Actually, it's very convenient for you to ask.' Skytail said.

Amberheart stopped stretching and sat up, looking intrigued. 'It is?' He replied. 'Why?'

Skytail inhaled a deep breath, like she was about to tell a story. And in some sense, she was. 'In StarClan at the moment…' she stopped, searching for the correct word. 'We have a situation.' When Amberheart gestured for her to continue, she carried on. 'A residence of StarClan, Squirrelfight, disappeared about seven sunrises ago. There was little speculation as to where she was at the time, but when she didn't return after two days, cats started to get worried. Later, two other cats, apprentices, also disappeared.' She glanced at Amberheart, but his expression remained intrigued. 'Bluestar and a few other cats devised a solution to the problem. They assume that a very dangerous cat is on the loose in StarClan, a killer, and since none of them has any experience with how to handle serial murderers, they need to find someone who does.'

Skytail stopped and waited for a reaction from Amberheart. All he did was nod his giant head very slowly, still processing the information.

'So that's why you're here.' He said at last. The tom raised his head and stared at her with those unnerving amber eyes. 'StarClan sent you into the Dark Forest to try and find a cat to help them?'

'Yes.' Skytail murmured. She shuffled forward, closer to Amberheart. 'And since you're taking me back to the border at morning, and you probably won't allow me to go and find any other cats, you're my only option.'

There was silence in the den. Skytail peered at Amberheart, searching for a sign, any kind that would convey some sort of decision that he was making. The pupils of his eyes darted around, back and forth and side to side, thinking about the offer he had been asked.

Finally he spoke. 'Skytail…' He said, his voice suddenly much more serious than the nonchalant and cheerful Amberheart that she had been talking to earlier. 'When I saved your life back there, I must say, I definitely wasn't expecting this to confront me.'

Skytail didn't move. She was still tense waiting for an answer.

He sighed. 'It's one of those moments, isn't it, Willowfeather?'

Though the she-cat would never admit it, all of a sudden, Skytail felt like she was intruding upon a very personal and emotional moment that was taking place in the den in the Dark Forest. Amberheart had been friendly, but because of that one sentence, which Skytail probably wasn't supposed to have heard, she got the impression she was talking with a very different cat. A dark cat. One with secrets. One where he had done bad things. Terrible things.

The phrase not only touched her, but she instantly realised the wisdom behind them as well. _One of those moments. _She had sensed it earlier. The same kind of thing. Just before she had entered the den. The moment where she had decided whether to go in or not had felt overwhelming huge, as if her whole life was revolving around it. And perhaps it was. She knew that Amberheart was experiencing one of those moments as well. Whether to say yes or-

'I accept!'

Skytail jumped up, surprised by his outbreak. Her eyes widened with disbelief. 'What?' She echoed, not quite believing that Amberheart had already made his decision. _So fast? _She thought.

'I accept.' Through the darkness, Skytail could make out the crystal white of his smile. For some reason unknown to her, he seemed absolutely thrilled that the offer had been proposed to him. 'We'll leave in the morning.'

'But- what-' She spluttered, before coughing and recovering herself. 'I mean, are you sure?'

He nodded. 'Definitely.' He grinned from ear to ear. 'This is an ace in the hole for me.'

Her eyes contracted as she stared at the tom. She struggled to understand why he would be so pleased, and to be honest, it made her suspicious, but who was she to complain? She had completed her mission. She had found a cat who could help them bring the murderer in StarClan to justice. She ignored the nagging feeling of insecurity, and flashed him a small smile.

'Good.' She replied. 'StarClan thanks you.'

He stopped smiling. For th first time, she noticed how little Amberheart blinked. His deep amber eyes always seemed open, staring into her soul, ripping her apart layer from layer. It was like he was reading her mind. 'StarClan?' He said, bluntly, before shaking his head. 'Don't talk to me about StarClan.'

Once more, Skytail became aware of the burning tension between the two of them. No matter how welcome Amberheart had made her feel, she had always got the sense that he was somewhat bothered by the fact she was here. Skytail understood that she didn't belong here, in the Dark Forest. Not one bit.

But by tomorrow, it would be Amberheart trespassing upon her domain.

Amberheart had already curled up into a ball and muttered a good night to her by the time Skytail felt the first sign of exhaustion hitting her. The exhilaration of the day had finally made an impact upon her body, and she felt a force lulling her to the mossy floor of Amberheart's den. It would be madness to fall asleep in the Dark Forest, with a cat she didn't understand sleeping near her, but what other choice did she have?

Slowly, she lay down, rested her head upon her paws, and closed her eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: New update!**

**Anyway, this one's a little bit shorter than the last, but not by much. It's still pretty long anyway, so I think it's fine.**

**Thanks for your reviews! Really appreciate it.**

**So yeah. That's pretty much all I gotta say. Hope you enjoy Chapter Two.**

**Please RR.**

* * *

**Horizon: (Book One)**

**Chapter Two**

The next morning, the Dark Forest was as cold and black as ever. The den was empty, so Skytail presumed that Amberheart was already up. She turned over, trying to find comfort in the the moss of the den, though she found none. Her eyes opened a peak. Through the camouflaged entrance, she could see a glimmer of light, which she knew was coming from StarClan's territory. Quickly, she was reminded of everything that had happened the previous day. _Amberheart is coming with me back to StarClan._

As soon as she realised sleep would not come again, she got to her paws and stretched, licking her lips hungrily. The need for food called her: she couldn't wait to get back into the light of StarClan and catch a few mice. After she had finished her stretching, the she-cat ducked underneath the entrance and stepped out into the Dark Forest.

Amberheart was already waiting for her. He was facing the other way when she walked out of the den, staring forward into the distance. She couldn't see his eyes, and to be honest, she was almost relieved about this.

The she-cat sat down beside the tom and hesitantly flicked him with her tail. The tom turned around to face her, a slightly vacant expression upon his face. 'Hello?' Skytail said.

Quickly, Amberheart shook his head, and the usual light returned to his unblinking eyes. 'Morning, Sky.' He said, cheerfully. His ears were pricked sharply, as if he was searching for something. 'You ready to go?'

She frowned. 'Sky?' She asked, questioningly.

He grinned, before relaxing his muscles and kinking his tail over his back. 'I have nicknames for practically everyone. Even for other cats in the Dark Forest.' He rolled his eyes. 'I can tell it annoys it them, but I hardly ever meet anyone else, so it doesn't make much difference.'

_Great. _Skytail thought, frustratedly. _I've only known this cat for about a day, and already he has a nickname for me. _Personally, she was a little disturbed that a cat in the Dark Forest had made a nickname for her. It made them seem a lot closer than they were, considering she still wasn't sure whether he was totally safe or not.

She got up and padded forward a little. 'So which way leads back to the border?' She said.

He shrugged nonchalantly, and didn't answer for a moment, as if it was obvious. When all Skytail did was stare at him blankly, he tilted his head to one side. 'Don't you know that StarClan's territory surrounds the Dark Forest?'

Skytail was taken back. She had always thought of the Dark Forest as a place that was infinitely large, and went on forever. And too be honest, it did seem pretty big when she looked around her. The darkness seemed to go on for a long time. 'How big_ is_ the Place of No Stars?' She asked, incredulous.

'Oh no!' He said quickly, braking into a fit of washing. 'Don't get me wrong, the Dark Forest is huge! It's by far larger than the whole of the Clans forest territory put together. I haven't even explored all of it yet.'

For a moment Skytail was confused. But not about what he had said about the Dark Forest being massive, she was more puzzled as to why Amberheart had said the Clans _forest _territory. _We don't live in a forest. _She thought. _We live beside a lake! _A memory flashed in her mind, and she remembered the story of the Great Journey. And how the Clans old territory had been destroyed, and they travelled all the way to the lake. _Does he mean that?_

Suddenly, she paused, staring at Amberheart. It was as if she was looking at him in a completely different angle. _Does he not know that the Clans moved to the lake? Does he still think we live in the ancient territory of the Clans? _

_How long has he been here?!_

Amberheart's voice echoed into her thoughts. 'Um, hello?' He called, looking amused. 'StarClan calling Sky!' He waved his paw in front of her face as a joke. 'Where have you been?'

Embarrassed, the she-cat shuffled her paws. 'Sorry.' She replied, uneasily. The thought about Amberheart's punishment was still fresh in mind. 'I just had a nasty thought… that's all.' _At least it's not a lie. _She thought.

Amberheart looked at her for another few moments, before coughing and breaking the tension burning between them. 'Well, about this mission of your's, shouldn't we get going? Did they specify a time when you had to get back?'

She shook her head. 'No.' She replied, before turning away and staring at the light she could see glimmering from StarClan. 'They just told me to get back as soon as possible.'

Skytail waited for a reply from Amberheart, but when she received none, she turned around. He was just staring at her. In his eyes, there was faint sign of sadness. And… was that pity? She didn't really know what was going on, but she felt like something huge was slipping through her paws. Something she didn't understand.

'But it would be nice to get going so that they know I'm safe.' Skytail added.

Suddenly, Amberheart stood up. Skytail backed away a little, surprised at his abrupt movement. 'Great.' He said. She was surprised when she detected an almost angry tone in his voice. 'Let's get going then.'

She hardly had time to react before she was chasing after him through the Dark Forest, trying to keep up with his massive strides. He was moving unusually quickly. Quicker than he had been moving yesterday, anyway. _I don't understand._ She thought. _Did I do something to annoy him?_

The she-cat shook her head and emptied her mind of thoughts, and tried to concentrate on keeping up with Amberheart, but she couldn't stop herself from releasing a small smile. Her opinion had changed onAmberheart: even though she still knew almost nothing about him, she felt like she understood him a lot more. From what she had seen of Amberheart she could tell that he was definitely not the cat he made out to be. She thought that he was very insecure, and extremely troubled. It wasn't that he was insane or anything like that, but she got the impression he was haunted by his past. That fact made her _fear_ his past. What had he done to send him to the Dark Forest? What crime that he committed haunted him so much?

And most of all, was the crime really so serious that he had to stay in the Dark Forest for what she knew had to be an extremely long time?

The light seeping from the border was growing ever stronger, and Skytail felt her mood becoming ever more positive with each step she took towards StarClan. The dark trees progressively got smaller, and the gaps between them became further apart with every paw step. Excitement rushed through her body. She noticed acutely that Amberheart's mood was also changing. He seemed to be growing more uncomfortable with every paw step closer to StarClan.

Skytail nearly fell to the ground in relief as they reached the very edge of the Dark Forest.

A thin beam of white light shone in the starry grass, marking the border between two worlds. She beamed from ear to ear as she stared at the hills and forests of the ever shining StarClan that glistened in front of them. She glanced at Amberheart. His expression was monotone, but she could tell that he was uneasy.

She sighed. 'Finally, we're out of that place.'

At that moment, Skytail was deeply glad for the new change of light, because she could see a lot more in Amberheart's face. In the light, his fur seemed a lot different. Lighter and heavier. In fact, the light improved his appearance in almost all areas. His unsettling amber eyes were now less threatening. Though she still found it unnatural the way he hardly ever blinked, his eyes now had a much more pleasing aspect. They shined like the rising sun in the morning.

Skytail instantly realised why Amberheart was uneasy. After spending so long in shadows and darkness, the idea of light and stars must be a foreign concept for him. It was crazy, but her heart went out to him. She couldn't help but feel sympathetic, though she got the sense she may not feel so sympathetic if she found out why he had been in the darkness for so long.

'So how does this work?' Amberheart asked her, his eyes fixed upon the border in front of him. The first signs of a smile showed upon his face. 'Dark Forest cats can't just leave this place on their own.'

'Ah!' Skytail replied excitedly. 'That's something StarClan did warn me about.' She gestured with her paws towards the Dark Forest. 'Residence of the Place of No Stars don't have the ability to cross the line, but StarClan cats not only have the power to get into the Dark Forest but also out again. All you have to do is make contact with me as we go over the border, and you'll be fine.'

Amberheart nodded quickly. He seemed a little nervous, but Skytail reached out her tail and rested it upon his shoulder, not only to calm him but also the make the contact that would get him over the border. 'Ready?' She said softly.

There was a moment of silence, before Amberheart looked up. There was a fresh determination and fire in his eyes as he answered, 'Ready.'

Quickly, the two of them leaped up into the air, in sync. For some reason, Skytail was half expecting the border to push them back and not allow them access into StarClan, but thankfully, that didn't happen. There was a flash of light as they passed over the border; Skytail was blinded for a moment, but it passed quickly.

And finally, Skytail was back home.

She breathed out a long sigh of relief as she landed upon the comfortable and fresh grass of StarClan. She felt her legs give way beneath her and she fell to the floor, purring in happiness. The Dark Forest was behind her, and she almost felt cheering. But Amberheart, well that was a sight! He got to his paws in a matter of seconds, and the look on his face was unmissable. For the first time, the tomcat looked truly happy. His eyes had somehow refused to blink, even in all the excitement, but they shone with ecstatic energy. He looked like a kit taking his first look at the world, and absorbing all the colours and beauty around him.

She laughed when he took a step forward and his legs wobbled a little. 'Guess you're not used to this?'

He turned to look at her, the happiness in his eyes unmistakable. 'Did you really think I wouldn't be?' He said, voice an overwhelmed whisper. The tom took another few steps forward before sniffing the ground and taking in the aromas around him. Skytail swore his eyes watered up when he detected the scent of fresh kill. 'Food.' He said, his voice still at the same pitch.

She got to her paws and padded over to him, inhaling to catch the same smell he had caught. She licked her lips hungrily. 'Mice!' She exclaimed. 'I haven't had any food since yesterday.' Like it was proving a point, her belly grumbled loudly.

He was quiet for a moment, and once again, Skytail frowned. The same melancholy and sad look had entered his unblinking eyes. The same look she had seen just as she walked out of his den in the Dark Forest that morning. 'I haven't eaten for seasons.' He murmured.

She snorted. 'What do you mean, seasons?' She said, thinking it was ridiculous. 'If you hadn't eaten in that long you'd be dea-' Immediately, she stopped speaking when she remembered the punishment of the Dark Forest. Guiltily, she looked at her paws, 'Oh.' She said. 'I'm sorry.'

You would have thought living your after life in a darkened forest with hardly any light, with little to no cats to comfort you was punishment enough for those banished to the Place of No Stars, but if you thought so, you were wrong. Probably the main torture of that place was the fact that you couldn't eat or drink. Forever you were stuck with an empty belly and a desire for water.

Amberheart shook his head, and his eyes lightened up once more. 'Well, I don't know about you, Sky.' He ignored the frustrated expression that contorted Skytail's face as he used the nickname. 'But I'm prepared to find your StarClan buddies later and hunt first.'

Skytail considered it for a moment. _To be honest, I really should go and find Bluestar. By now she probably thinks I'm dead. _She inhaled and took in the scent of prey again. _But on the other hand, I am hungry..._

She nodded. 'Let's go hunt.'

Amberheart returned the nod, and eagerly began to follow the smell of mice, his nose practically touching the starry earth. Skytail followed, suddenly feeling a little self-conscious. Every second she spent in Amberheart's company, she was constantly reminding herself that he was a Dark Forest cat. But to be honest, she felt very at ease around him. For some reason, she felt like she could relate with him. She knew his life had probably been a lot more tragic and painful than her's, and even though she hadn't had anything particularly wrong with her life...

Nostalgia hit her like waterfall. _Can I really say I didn't have anything wrong with my life? Can I really say I was ever satisfied?_

Quickly she shook her head and ignored her thoughts, catching up with Amberheart. He had stopped by a grand oak tree littered with fresh green leaves, and his eyes were fixed on the ground. She followed his gaze and saw what he was looking at. A mouse!

She was about to drop down into a hunter's crouch, but then she noticed the absolutely determined look upon Amberheart's face, and she remembered how long he must've spent without food and water. The idea made her sit up and gaze at him, intrigued to see how the tom hunted. She knew that he could easily not catch the food of StarClan, since he hadn't hunted for so long. But she still wanted to see what his technique was like. Skytail knew that it could give her a clue as to what Clan he had originally been from.

Amberheart cricked his neck before falling down to his paws and getting very low to the ground. As a ThunderClanner herself, she instantly recognised this as her Clan's signature hunting pose, something instinctive to her as well. But as he started moving forward, she became confused. Usually, a ThunderClan cat put one paw in front of the other and took big strides to their target; Amberheart seemed to be crawling instead of striding. It was a slow process, him getting as close as he could, and that was what made her understand the advantage of why he was crawling. Because he wasn't actually taking steps, there was no chance of him rustling leaves or stepping on twigs.

Now, Amberheart was so close that he could almost press his muzzle against the mouse, which had gone completely still. Skytail heard a sharp intake of breath, and then she discovered it was herself. Though he was just hunting, there was a surprisingly large amount of tensio-

WHAM!

Skytail blinked. If she'd blinked when he sprung, she would've have missed it. His paw shot out like a lightning bolt and held it down to the ground, making it completely helpless, and then he expertly inflicted the killing bite, ending any struggle the mouse could have put up. Skytail was impressed. The routine had been amazingly well practised.

Amberheart rolled around on the floor for a few a seconds in delight, before without even consulting Skytail was to whether she wanted some, he gobbled down the whole thing in one gulp. He licked his chops, before lying back and resting his head upon the shining green grass, his eyes as unblinking as ever.

Suddenly, he remembered that Skytail was there with him, and he quickly got to his paws. Noticing the slight gawp upon the she-cats face, he grinned, looking very proud of himself. 'Impressed?' He said, before shrugging. 'Guess I've still got it, huh?'

As soon as she realised she was looking at him open mouthed, she quickly shut her mouth and began grooming herself, a red hot blush clear upon her cheeks. 'Um, I guess.' She muttered. Privately, she thought that Amberheart must've practised his hunting in the Dark Forest to pass the time away. It definitely wouldn't have been so perfect if he hadn't.

Eager to change the subject, Skytail turned her back. 'Well you've hunted now.' She echoed, matter of factly. 'We'd best be getting along. I want to go and find Bluestar.' She started to pad off, hoping he would follow her.

'Wait!' He called out, sounding puzzled, and a little disappointed. 'I thought you were hungry!'

As he said this, Skytail was reminded of them emptiness in her stomach. _Hey, _she scolded herself, _if Amberheart managed to bear being hungry for seasons, you can too. _'That's not important. I need to go and find Bluestar.'

Immediately, Skytail stopped when she heard Amberheart speak again. She was aware of the fact that Amberheart was prone to very swift mood swings, but any cat would have been surprised with the cold, icy and harsh tone that the Dark Forest cat's voice took on. He snorted. 'Bluestar, eh?'

She very slowly turned her head. 'What about Bluestar?'

He shrugged. 'Oh nothing.' Even from here, she could see his unsettling amber eyes staring daggers into her heart. 'I'm just interested in the merciless cat that would send you all alone into the Dark Forest, with no protection, and no real aim.' He raised his paw and unsheathed his claws, licking them un-caringly. 'So you know, it's nothing.'

Now, usually, Skytail was quite shy and reserved, and didn't like getting angry. But this was one of the situations were she couldn't really stop herself. She too unsheathed her claws and her pelt bristled. Hostility laced her voice. 'What are you suggesting, Amberheart?'

The white she-cat didn't receive a reply. All she got in return in was a deep stare. A very unkind, very threatening stare. Not only was she scared by it, but part of her was also curious. Curious as towards the tom's behaviour. The stare didn't seem to fit the face in which it was beheld. It was like the stare was coming from a completely different cat. A cat in completely the wrong body. And then the smallest smirk appeared upon his face. One that said, _I know something that you don't._

Then it all changed. Quicker than the speed of light, it all disappeared. The stare, the smirk, it was gone. Faster than it had come. Amberheart quickly shook his fur, as if something had ruffled him, and padded towards her. Almost instinctively, Skytail backed off. She was still trying to understand what he had meant. _What does he know? What's he saying about Bluestar? Is he saying that, that, she chose me for a bad reason?_

Amberheart glanced at her as she moved away from him. His face became confused. Skytail couldn't believe it. Not only was he acting like he didn't know why she was keeping her distance from him, but he was acting like he was concerned! It was true. Amberheart looked like he was about to speak, to ask her what was wrong, but she quickly interrupted him.

'No.' She said firmly, disgusted that he was… that he was _toying _with her. 'Don't even try and ask.' She shook her head, outraged. She found her claws unsheathing themselves again.

Amerheart looked down at her warily. Skytail could see he was a good actor. He generally looked as though he didn't know what Skytail was bothered about. 'Sky, are you sure you're alright?' He said tilting his head.

If Skytail wasn't angry before, she certainly was now. No. She was absolutely furious. Not only was he toying with her, but he was using that stupid, patronising nickname. She shook her head, trying to stay calm. 'As much as I'd like to take you back to the Dark Forest right now, I can't.' She snarled. 'I have to complete my mission, now matter what you think about it.'

Now, the Dark Forest tom just looked bewildered. His eyes shifted from side to side. 'Um…' He trailed off. Even still, his eyes did not blink. 'Did I do something wrong, Sky?' He tried.

Skytail had had enough of him trying to make it seem like he didn't know what was going. 'Just follow me!' She growled, shaking her head in furious disbelief. 'We're going to go and find Bluestar.' She stormed away, seriously trying to resist the urge to scrape her claws across Amberheart's face. _And to think I felt sorry for him._ She realised how stupid she must have seemed in the Dark Forest, being friendly with him and such. She felt like an idiot.

Skytail didn't speak for the rest of the time that she lead Amberheart through StarClan. Often he tried to communicate with her, but she didn't say anything in reply. She was still in a rage, and at that moment, there was no way of getting her to cool down. The two of them passed over hills and trees, and they walked for a good half an hour. StarClan cats didn't actually have a firm base that they stayed in, like the Clans below. Their territory was endless, and since there was no danger, they tended to come and go as they pleased. There wasn't even exactly a group which everyone stayed in: there were lots of different ones dotted around, though usually every group stayed pretty near each other. Sometimes, it was good to chat with cats not just inside the usual ring of friends that you stuck with.

Skytail knew it would be reasonably difficult to find her group, but not as hard as it would be for other's. The cats she stuck with tended to stay in one area, but would shift around the places in their, "territory" as they liked. It consisted mostly of ThunderClan cats, which wasn't surprising, but there were some of other Clans as well. Bluestar had assumed, before she sent Skytail on the mission, that the murderer was based in their group, since two cats had disappeared from theirs, and the others from neighbouring ones. As soon as Squirrelflight had disappeared, the news had spread very quickly to the other groups in the area.

All the cats that Skytail loved in life where there. Her friends. Her mother and father and...

Her sister.

The she-cat closed her eyes for a moment as the thought of her sibling passed over her. Yes. Her sister has always been close with her- Skytail's sister liked her a lot. However, if the kinship was returned, Skytail hadn't been sure of for a long time.

She opened her eyes and realised that she had stopped. She looked over her shoulder and saw Amberheart waiting patiently behind her. She knew that the tom's eyes hadn't left her all the time that they'd been walking, and his unwavering gaze still did not leave her. 'Why have we stopped?' He asked cautiously, after a pause.

Skytail turned back round and considered answering him. She knew the sadness that had passed over her while she was thinking of her sister had calmed her down somewhat, but she didn't want to talk with the Dark Forest cat. The tension between them had shrunk considerably in the time before he had brought up Bluestar, but now, it was even stronger than the time he had found her.

'I was just thinking of where to head next.' She replied, her voice cold.

His eyes contracted, and he raised his paw, as if he was wondering whether he should pad closer, but obviously he decided against the action. 'Do you not know where Bluestar are the rest of her little cronies are?'

She stiffened. Amberheart had purposefully put on emphasis when he talked about Bluestar's, "cronies". 'StarClan cats tend to move around a lot.' She snapped back.

Amberheart clear got the impression that she didn't want to talk with him anymore, and he quickly fell silent. Skytail dropped to the ground and sniffed the floor, searching the air currents for any sign of her group. She found that she had actually stopped at a convenient point. This spot of the glistening territory was where she had left for the Dark Forest. She looked back and saw the shadowy darkness of the place in the distance.

'What does Bluestar look like?'

Skytail jumped when she heard his question. She got to her paws and her tail flicked from side to side. 'Why do you ask?'

He didn't address the question, and instead began combing his whiskers (Skytail noticed he did this a lot when he was smug about something). 'Is she by any chance a blue-grey she-cat with sapphire like blue eyes, with quite a small frame?'

Skytail was surprised, and she repeated her previous question. Amberheart smiled at her. 'Because I think I found her.'

* * *

**Was that a rushed ending? If it was, I'm sorry, but I felt like I had dragged the chapter on for too long, and it felt right to end it there. **

**Hope you enjoyed it!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Horizon: The Story Of A Serial Killer**

**Chapter Three:**

Skytail eyes widened, and she looked from side to side, trying to see the old grey she-cat. She and Amberheart were sitting upon a hill, deep into StarClan's territory. It gave them quite a good view of everything around, but Skytail couldn't see anything. 'Where?' She exclaimed, looking back at Amberheart.

He got to his paws and padded over to the very edge of the hill; his tail whisked over his back. 'There.' He said, a smile appearing upon his face. Skytail followed his gesture and looked down the hill towards the tree line just at the edge of the hill. She squinted, but still she couldn't see anything.

She narrowed her eyes and glared back at th Dark Forest cat. 'Where?' She demanded, her eyes searching where he had pointed one more time. 'I don't see anything.'

Amberheart rolled his eyes, and padded closer. Immediately, Skytail craned her neck backwards, not allowing him to get too close. She was still hostile towards him, and didn't want him getting too close. 'If you look down at the trees,' he whispered, his unblinking eyes fixed upon Skytail's own. 'You should be able to see a small glow. Blueish. Just to the left of that yew tree.'

The she-cat took another look at the yew tree, her ears twitching. She expected to see nothing, and to find that Amberheart was again toying with her. After all, how could he have managed to see something so small? But Skytail was shocked to find that Amberheart was actually right. Just to the left of an ageing yew tree, she could in fact see a pair of blue eyes. The light reflected off them, which is how Amberheart must've noticed them.

'But-' She spluttered, not quite believing that Amberheart would've been able to see something so small from so far away. She could hardly see them now she knew they were there! 'But-' She composed herself, before beginning again. 'How? How did you see that?'

Amberheart frowned, and sat back, looking somewhat perplexed. 'How did you not see them?'

She shook her head incredulously, taking in the information. She glanced back to see that the sapphire glow had disappeared. The she-cat was about to ask Amberheart for an explanation, but he was already on it. 'She's stepped back.' He informed. 'If it is this Bluestar cat that sent you, she doesn't know it's you yet.'

Again, Skytail was aware of the fact that Amberheart seemed to have a gift for making very accurate predictions. But for once, Skytail saw the logic in his statement. _Why else would she be hiding?_

She huffed, feeling foolish (even though she she knew she shouldn't be). 'Well, let's not stand around on ceremony, then, shall we?' She snapped, before raising her head and high and padding down the hill. She heard a chuckle from Amberheart behind her, and the scuffle of paws as he hurried to follow her. She peered where he had told her Bluestar was supposedly hiding. She still had't reappeared, but something told Skytail that she was not gone.

When they reached the bottom of the hill, Skytail sat back down; Amberheart followed suite. She glanced sidewards at him, to see a concentrated expression upon his face. Since they where so close to the yew tree, the she-cat assumed that Bluestar would realise that it was her-

She was correct.

There was the sound of rustling bushes and a small mew of surprise. Skytail blinked, but didn't say a word as Bluestar emerged form the undergrowth, stars trailing from behind her. There was a smile upon her face, but she looked deadly serious. Especially when she laid her eyes on Amberheart.

'Skytail!' She echoed formally. The majestic blue-she cat strode towards Skytail and greeted her with her muzzle. It was replaced by a disapproving stare. 'You didn't arrive on time: everyone thought you hadn't made it out of the Dark Forest.'

Skytail was taken back at how stern she was- there was hardly a trace of relief or happiness there. _Is she not happy that I've come back?_ She brushed the thought of uneasily, and smiled back. 'But I did!' She purred. She leaned forward and lowered her lice to a whisper. 'And I found you what you were looking for.'

For the first time in the conversation, Bluestar addressed Amberheart. Skytail noticed that her claws were unsheathed and she was very stiff, as if she was waiting for the tom to jump at her and kill them both. 'So I see.' She murmured, before turning to face Amberheart fully. Sapphire blue locked with burning amber.

Bluestar blinked, and she was the first to look away. Skytail knew very well that Amberheart's stare was _particularly _intimidating. 'What is your name.' She said, gruffly.

The tom was silent for several seconds. Skytail wondered why he wasn't answering her straight out- for some reason, she got the impression that he was angry at Bluestar. _Why would he be angry? _Skytail thought. _He treated me nicely enough. He saved my life! Why is he being so cold to Bluestar?_

At last, he spoke. 'My name is Amberheart.' He said. It was strange contrast to the hostility upon the Dark Forest cat's face, since his voice sounded charming and charismatic in the way it usually sounded.

Bluestar cleared her throat. Tension was thick in the air between the two of them. 'And I assume that Skytail has briefed you upon the situation that StarClan is in?

He nodded, leaning back and starting to groom himself nonchalantly. 'Obviously? Why else would I be here?' He laughed, before continuing, his eyes contracting. 'You should be very grateful towards Skytail you know. She has done you an immense favour… I'm _certain _that you'll appreciate her actions and reward her accordingly.'

Bluestar laughed. 'Of course, why wouldn't we?'

'Oh nothing.' Amberheart retorted calmly, lifting his back leg to reach the area underneath. 'It's just the way her "mission" was given to her. No guard. No extra precautions, which is odd considering she was heading into the Dark Forest.' He dipped his face and stared at the older female long and hard. 'Alone.' He padded forward so that he could speak into Bluestar's ear. He whispered something that Skytail couldn't make out. The white she-cat tilted her head to one side, feeling thoroughly confused. What was Amberheart getting at?

As soon as the tomcat finished his whispering, Bluestar's gaze turned more icy than before. She swung herself around and raised her head, refusing to acknowledge the tom. 'Come on Skytail. Let's go back to your family.'

As Bluestar continued on her way into the StarClan territory, Skytail cast a questioning glance in Amberheart's simply smirked at her and didn't answer, continuing after the gray she-cat with more speed than before. Perhaps he had expected her to try and keep up with him, but Skytail did not. Unlike what many cats, the prospect of seeing her family never thrilled Skytail.

Bluestar led the, deeper into the starry undergrowth. Skytail noticed that they had hardly moved their camp since she left for the Dark Forest, which somewhat surprised her. They usually kept on the move constantly. _Waiting for me? _She wondered. For some reason, something made her think that this was not the case.

Finally, they reached a large overhanging cliff face that was graced with a large and crystalline waterfall. The water gushed down into the pool below, and as Bluestar began to scale the cliff down to where she knew the camp was below, she felt the usual feeling of awe. It was one of her favourite places in StarClan, and it had in fact been her who discovered it, but of course she hadn't got much credit for it.

She giggled a little (but made sure to keep it a low volume) when she saw how equally mesmerised Amberheart was. He clearly hadn't seen anything as pristine as this in a long, long while. She thought about nudging him in amusement, but then she recalled the way he had made toyed with her earlier, and then acted like he didn't know what was going on, and expelled the thought from her head.

When they reached the bottom of the cliff, only then was it evident how Skytail's group where living. There was an assembly of dens and such a few metres away from the waterfall. Several cats were simply dozing in the sun, while others were bathing in the sparkling water of the pool underneath the overhang. Everything seemed pretty peaceful, but there was an undeniable uneasiness in the air. An impatience. An expectation.

As soon as the sight of Bluestar, appearing, with Skytail and Amberheart, everyone stopped what their doing and watched their descent. There was an uproar of eager anticipation, and the commotion turned into a crowd as Bluestar finally reach the bottom. A crescendo of shouts echoed, making Skytail's head hurt.

Above all of them, however, the loudest voice that came was a distinctly high pitched and girly one. 'Skytail!' The voice said. 'You came back!'

A weight bowled Skytail over, and the white she-cat lout an a moan of shock. Quickly, the shock turned to annoyance as she saw who was standing on her chest, purring in pleasure. It was her sister, Silverfur.

Silverfur was very aptly named. Her fur did look like it was pure silver. It glimmered gorgeously in the bright sunlight, and her eyes were the same colour of Skytail's. Blue. Yet there was something more… desirable about Silverfur's. Made they just a little bit more shiny. A little bit more elegant. Whatever it was, it definitely seemed to make an impact on the toms. In her lifetime, Siverfur had been incredibly popular with the males. At one time, Skytail, had been certain that everyone tomcat in the whole of ThunderClan had had a crush on her. Another thing was that she was literally good at everything. Hunting. Fighting. Romance. She exelled in every area. She had been ThunderClan's pride and glory. (**Before reviewers go absolutely mental at me saying, "Uh, Silverfur is a friggin Mary Sue what's wrong with you" yes, that is the ****_point. _****She is meant to be perfect in every way for the sake of major plot lines in the story, and if she's already annoying you, then good. The character is doing her job.)**

And Skytail had just been Silverfur's sister.

Skytail grunted and shoved Silverfur off, but her sister took no notice of her. 'I'm so glad you're okay!' She exclaimed, muzzling her with joy, much to Skytail's disgust. 'I was so worried about my big sis. Going off into the Dark Forest all on your own. You should be ashamed of yourself!' She said playfully.

'Yes, you should.'

Skytail and her sister turned their heads to see their mother and father pushing their way through the crowds to reach them. It was their father, Sparrowhawk, who had spoken. He was a dark brown tabby tomcat with a very deep voice. He looked disapprovingly at Skytail. 'What were you thinking? Going off into the Dark Forest on your own? You had us worried sick.'

A familiar flash of hurt splashed across Skytail's face. _If Silverfur had done that, all you would have done is reward her for her outstanding bravery and courage. _

'Your father is right, Skytail.' Her mother, Cloudspots, said. Skytail and Silverfur had inherited their white and grey pelts form their mother. They looked almost identical. Same fur colour. Same length. The only thing different genetically was the eye colour. Cloudspots' eyes were grey; there was a particularly patronising not note in the way she addressed her first kit. 'You ought to know your limits and control your curiosity.'

Skytail as just about to cut in and send back a sharp retort, she suddenly the product of the white she-cat's "fool hardy adventure" decided to intercept. The Dark Forest tom stepped forward and stared at the family with narrowed eyes. 'Sorry, but I was under the impression that she was sent on this mission by Bluestar.' He said, almost coldly. 'She was just obeying orders.'

Skytail blinked. _Why is Amberheart defending me? _She didn't have much time to think on the matter, for her mother had already replied. 'Nevertheless, she should've at least told us where she was going.' Cloudspots retorted, before a look of puzzlement entered her face. She opened her mouth to speak, but then Silverfur spoke and probably voiced her mother's same query.

'I'm sorry to be rude, but who are you? I haven't seen you around here before.' Said Silverfur. Skytail frowned a little when she saw there was a strange kind've of admiration and awe in her sister's eyes.

Amberheart glanced at her, and Skytail half expected his attention to turn solely to her, but Skytail was surprised for what had to be the hundredth time that day. Instead, he hardly gave her a second look. 'As it happens, I'm the cat that is required for StarClan's murdering problem.'

Sparrowhawk eyes widened with horror. 'You mean you're a Dark For-' He stuttered, before quickly moving forward and blocking the gap between Silverfur and Amberheart. 'Silverfur, get away from him!' He echoed. _Nice to know I'm you're leading priority father. _Skytail thought.

Amberheart simply stared at him with venom in his eyes, but before the confrontation could escalate to a fight, Skytail decided it was _her_ time to intercept. 'Careful Sparrowhawk,' she snapped, pushing her father and sister away from Amberheart. Then she turned to him. 'Are you crazy?' She hissed. 'You're meant to be helping us.'

The Dark Forest tomcat just laughed harshly and turned away, muttering under his breath. Skytail decided she would leave it there, since she could see that Amberheart was in one of his more intimidating moods.

Just then, Bluestar finally managed to get the attention of the rowdy crowd. She stood on a large boulder, looking over the assembly of ThunderClan cats below her. 'Please quiet down!' She shouted. 'Quiet!'

Finally, the voices died down until the only one that could be heard was Bluestar's. 'Thank you.' She said, before forcing a smile onto her face. 'Now that I have your attention, you can see that Skytail has returned from her mission to the Dark Forest, and has succeeded, bringing a cat back with her.'

Alarmed screams from nervous cats rang out. They all glared at Amberheart warily, but Bluestar raised her tail and calmed them once more. 'His name is Amberheart, and he has agreed to help us catch the killer that is loose at the moment-'

'So by trying to solve these disappearances, you've brought in another one?' A cat growled. Skytail raised her head and saw that it was Bramblestar. He was particularly uptight about the murders because his own mate had been a victim, though he refused to accept that she was dead as there was no solid proof. 'One just as deadly?'

There were murmurs of agreement to what Bramblestar said. 'We should send him back and not put ourselves in even more danger than we already are.'

Bluestar tried to regain control once more, but this time, her authority failed her. Skytail shook her head in frustration and got to her paws. 'You fools! Don't you see? Amberheart helping us is the only way that we're going to catch the one responsible for these disappearances. With his help we'll be able to find out who it is and-'

'Why are you defending him?' Brambleclaw snapped, the crowd making there voices heard in support of him. 'You're just a naive little she-cat that should shut up when she knows when.'

Skytail growled and unsheathed her claws. 'Naive, am I?' She snarled, raking up dirt threateningly. 'Who was it that went into the Dark Forest _alone _here and came out alive? You're just a damn coward that can't accept that truth. Squirrelflight and the apprentices are dead! Murdered! Don't you want justice?'

Bramblestar yowled with utter fury and he too unsheathed his claws. Skytail crouched ready to fight, but before she could strike the first blow, Silverfur stepped forward. 'Everyone, would you shut up. Skytail is right. We need Amberheart to do this, and Skytail isn't naive Bramblestar! She's my big sister and is so brave to do what she did without help. None of you could've done it, and neither could me or Bluestar. So be quit and listen!'

Instantaneously, everyone fell silent.

Bluestar nodded approvingly at Silverfur. 'Thank you for your help, Silverfur. You're a good cat.' She smiled. Skytail felt anger consume from head to paws. _She says thank you to Silverfur for settling down the crowd, but I walk into the Dark Forest and come out alive to help her and she doesn't even thank me?_

Bluestar raised her voice. 'Now while Amberheart is here, he will need to have close assistance and guards to make sure he doesn't try anything funny.' Skytail nearly laughed when she saw Amberheart scowl beside her. 'We will need some volunteers to help out. Anyone?'

Bluestar waited.

And waited.

Then waited some more.

But no one even spoke.

Skytail glanced around awkwardly. _And they say I'm a coward. They're not even brave enough to keep guard on him. _Skytail was about to open her mouth to volunteer when Silverfur got there first. 'I volunteer Bluestar!' She offered shyly. 'I'd like to do my bit in finding this cat.'

Bluestar gave her yet another smile of approval, and Skytail heard whispers about how brave she was to volunteer. Skytail pouted, but determined not to be outdone, she spoke. 'I volunteer too!' She said, hotly. 'I found Amberheart. I should look after him.'

Of course, when she volunteered, everyone glanced at each other nervously. Cloudspots padded forward. 'I don't know, Skytail.' Said her mother soothingly. 'Maybe it would be best to leave this job to Silverfur.'

Outraged, the white she-cat spun around and glared angrily at Bluestar, but she didn't say a word in her defence. No one did.

Except one.

'Actually, Bluestar,' Amberheart's voice rang out with the charisma to sink a Clan to their paws. 'I'd like to make a request.' He smiled and stretched out calmly. 'After all, it is my guard: perhaps I should have some of a say in the matter.' The silver grey she-cat opened her mouth to interrupt, but Amberheart wouldn't let her. 'Plus, I will also need help in my investigations if we are going to be successful in finding this cat. And I can think of only one she-cat for the job.'

He smiled sarcastically, and flicked Skytail over the shoulder with his mottled brown and white tail. 'I would very much appreciate it if Skytail was my the cat who helped me.'


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's Note: Thanks for your reviews! They are greatly appreciated.**

**So yeah, you'll see in this chapter that Amberheart's persona takes on an extremely light and jokey tone. Unlike past chapters. You'll see what I mean.**

**Oh yeah, and I know this won't bother most at all, but there's some seriously minor references to sexually orientated material. It's really small, so don't get chuffed up about it. It is T Rated after all. **

**Enjoy.**

* * *

**Horizon: Book One**

**Chapter Four**

Skytail didn't sleep a wink that night. As it happened, sleeping wasn't something that came easily to StarClan cats, and not many cats did it, but it was possible to do. Usually, new members of StarClan fell asleep so as to remember their previous life and the ones they had left behind. Skytail didn't do it for the memories because she hadn't really _left_ anyone behind anyway. She didn't have a family. No mate. No kits. She had friends- but no one close.

So it was early when she got up from her nest, beside her sister and family, and shook herself in the already shining StarClan sky. The waterfall gushed down into the valley; Skytail noticed that she was the only one who was awake. Sitting on on her haunches, she groomed herself before stretching and padding over to the water's edge. She looked deep into the water. All that stared back was her reflection.

'Couldn't sleep, huh Sky?'

Amberheart's voice caught her off guard- she gasped and nearly fell into the water. Her stumble was followed by a snort of amusement from Amberheart and loud purring.

She quickly got back to her paws and glared at him. 'You did that purposefully.' She accused.

Finally, Amberheart recovered himself, and sitting up, he flashed her his signature white smile. 'Naturally.' He replied. The laughter was still clear upon his features. 'You should've seen your face though! Priceless.'

Skytail raised her nose and looked away, purposefully ignoring him. She wasn't the most forgiving cat ever born, and she certainly wasn't going to let go of what he said yesterday so easily.

Quickly, Amberheart's light giggling ceased and his voice became serious. 'Oh come on Sky,' he moaned, like a kit to his mother. 'You're still bothered about the hunting thing?'

Skytail snorted. 'Yes.' She snapped, defiantly keeping her back turned. 'I am still bothered about it, and don't call me that mouse brained nickname. It's really annoys me.'

He shot forward like a snake, grinning. Clearly, his ever changing persona had decided to take on the form of a much more suggestible cat. 'Of course, Sky.' He replied, much to her dislike. 'After you tell me _why _you're so cold at the moment.'

She coughed; turned around and stared at Amberheart in sheer disbelief. 'Your saying _I'm _being cold? What about you! You and the way you treated my family yesterday, and the way you spoke to me while we were hunting. It's was completely unnecessary, especially since I know you can be like this: joking around and grinning like some kind of retard.'

Despite her insults, Amberheart didn't seem at all intimidated by her. 'Ah, so that's why you're so angry…' The bemused smile turned into a confident smirk. 'You were taken away by the fact that you're handsome new friend was actually a cold blooded Dark Forest cat. Must've been shocking.'

Skytail grunted and flicked her tail. 'Two things. One: you are _not _handsome. Two: we are not friends.'

'And yet here we are, arguing over, let's be honest, the kind of issues that only friends argue over.' Amberheart said triumphantly. 'You may deny it, but I know that deep down in that jealous little heart of your's, you do like me, and that you already do consider me a friend.'

'Jealous?'

'Don't talk to me like that Skytail. I can read you like a hunter reads it's prey.' Amberheart interrupted. 'The cats around you may be so full of your pretty little sister to notice anything about you, but I certainly am not.' He let out yet another laugh. 'Besides, I think you've forgotten something.'

Skytail, admittedly, felt a little bit deflated. It seemed that Amberheart really could read her like a hunter reads it's prey. He'd seen through her strong exterior to see the cat that was masked underneath seemingly effortlessly. _No one ever caught up on how I feel about my sister before so fast. _She thought.

'And what have I forgotten, Amberheart? Skytail said, bluntly.

'You owe me.'

'How?'

He smiled at her, his eyes glimmering with a strange kind of happiness. 'Without me, you wouldn't still have such an important job, and would be watching from a distance as Silverfur did all the work you started and got all the glory.'

Skytail thought about it for a moment. It was true. If he hadn't supported her view, ahe would still be hanging back in her sister's shadow, which she hated so much. _I guess I have another thing to thank Amberheart. _

Suddenly, the moment was interrupted by the loud yawn of Skytail's sister, Silverfur, as she finally awoke. She and her sister were some of the remaining cats in StarClan who still went to sleep. For some reason, Skytail thought she noticed her sister's eyes light up when she looked at Amberheart.

'Hey!' She called out, before padding over to her sister and the Dark Forest cat. Skytail couldn't help but feel a little bit apprehensive that their conversation was broken so soon. 'Morning sis!' The glint in her eyes returned. 'Morning Amberheart.'

Amberheart's face retained the jokey and likeable personality it had held a few moments earlier. 'Morning… Silverfur, I daresay?' He said, his voice trailing off a little bit in uncertainty. He glanced sidewards at Skytail who nodded so as to signal he'd been correct.

Silverfur looked somewhat disheartened by the fact he hadn't remembered her name. Skytail, on the contrary, felt rather encouraged, though a slight puzzlement entered her mind as to why Silverfur was being so… well, even more polite and modest than usual.

'Yes, that is my name.' Silverfur replied, before shaking her head. 'Anyways, so you're going to be helping us to find whoever has been causing the disappearances in StarClan at the moment?'

'Yep,' the tom said. His tone of voice was still pleasant, but more forced that it had been. 'Not sure my _guard,' _he emphasised this, 'should be having such a friendly and composed chat with her prisoner, though.' He managed to pull off what off a statement that had really been designed to warn Silverfur off as a kind of sarcastic gag.

Silverfur's smile grew. 'Oh I don't know…' She let her words sink in, before stretching her body out luxuriously in the glimmering light.

Amberheart just blinked awkwardly, whereas Skytail mind was spinning like a whirlwind. _What the hell is she_ doing?! She thought furiously. _Whatever she's doing she's making a complete fox dung of herself. _

Silverfur stopped stretching and licked her paws. 'So what exactly are you going to do today, Amberheart?' She asked. 'I suppose you'll want to see the places where the cats were last seen, am I correct?'

Amberheart nodded, the amused shine in his eyes having evaporated by now. 'That will be good.' he said slowly. 'In fact, I'd appreciate it if we set out straight away: after all, there's no time like the present to start.'

Skytail flicked her ears uncomfortably, looking at her sister nervously. 'I'm not sure that's a very good idea, Amberheart,' she replied, 'cats don't tend to take not being assured of Silverfur's safety very well.'

A knowing look entered Amberheart's eyes and he nodded. 'Okay, we'll set out at sunhi-'

'Oh, I'm sure it will be fine,' Silverfur interrupted quickly. Her eyes hadn't left Amberheart's for the whole conversation. 'Me and my sister are your guards- they'll understand we're just doing our job.'

Skytail looked at her sister long and hard. 'Have you forgotten the last time you went out of camp on a whim, Silverfur?' She asked as politely as possible.

Now _that _little incident is one that Skytail had hoped to forget more than anything. When they were just apprentices, and Silverfur was at the peak of her adolescent popularity, she had gone out into the forest trying to find some badgers after she'd heard a story from her mentor (Skytail never held her sister's intelligence in the highest regard) and of course, had not returned. It lead to full scale panic. And when Skytail said full scale, she didn't just mean ThunderClan. Oh no- all four Clans had joined in the search. It was absolutely ridiculous, but as it happened, the leader of ShadowcCan had a somewhat disturbing crush on Silverfur, and had convinced RiverClan and Windclan to help.

When she returned, three sunrises later, the whole matter died down because Silverfur stubbornly refused to admit where she had gone to- however later on she revealed to Skytail that she hadn't just found a badger, but had also found a handsome tom and had a bit of… rendezvous with him.

Apparently, Silverfur did remember! She frowned a little and some doubt entered her eyes, however she wasn't deterred. 'Maybe…' she said, before straightening herself. 'Still: the murderer needs to be found as soon as possible, so we should start right away.'

Skytail sighed. She knew this was a thoroughly terrible idea, but as usual she would have to go along with it, because Silverfur always got what she wanted from anyone.

But Amberheart wasn't anyone.

The tom shifted himself into a more comfortable position. 'Well Silverfur's right in that we should get started straight away.' He murmured, almost disapprovingly. But then he smiled. 'But Skytail's also right. We should probably wait a little for everyone to wake up, then we don't have to worry about everyone panicking.'

Skytail grinned back. _Thank the clans that someone has a little sense around here! _She glanced at her sister- she'd be lying if she said she didn't take pleasure in the surprise eon her face. But it left quicker than it had come, and the goofy smile then returned. 'Okay.' Silverfur said. 'We'll wait for a bit.'

Silverfur left then, disappearing back into her den to try and get some sleep, probably. After she'd completely gone, Skytail turned back. 'Thanks for taking my thoughts into consideration.' She said gratefully. 'It's certainly welcome, for once.' She said the last part with her voice lowered.

He shrugged, giving her a bit of a breather. Skytail's eyes narrowed and she blinked. It was a sudden reminder of how little Amberheart's own moved. An unwavering, scorching yellow stare, that she had noticed before, seemed to be ripping you apart layer by layer and find your secrets. _He's a Dark forest cat, _she reminded herself, before looking back.

Amberheart coughed, breaking the silence. 'So, um, your sister is quite the,' he paused, 'interesting personality.'

She laughed. 'Tell me about it.' Skytail replied, her tail twitching. 'You can't blame her really- she's been spoilt and pampered ever since she was born. That time, I have to say, was probably the first time I've seen her unsuccessful in getting something she wants. Even so, she's my sister.'

The tom fixed her with that unsettling stare. 'You don't have to pretend around me Skytail, you know,' he whispered. 'They may not be able to, but I can see your frustration with her.'

Skytail didn't answer; instead she just looked down into the roaring waterfall.

The question hit her abruptly. She hadn't been expecting it. All of a sudden, she shot around like a blur and spoke. 'Amberheart, why is my sister so desirable?'

Amberheart eyes widened a little, but he didn't seem so shocked by her out burst. 'Why is Silverfur attractive?' He asked. He stopped everything and looked at the sky, evidently thinking about her question. 'Well I guess it's something about the way she looks.'

'Yes, I know that,' pressed Skytail, 'but why?'

'Seriously Skytail, you couldn't ask a harder question to answer could you?' He joked, before becoming serious again. 'Okay, so she's pretty because of contributing factors. It's hard to describe them, but I'll try. First of all we should talk about her fur. It's very delicate and soft, and it's silvery, which a lot of toms find appealing.'

'What else?'

'She has a really good frame. Slim, neat, but also quite strong and muscled. And her eyes are beautiful- a pale amber colour. Very sweet, and kind of cute. But I guess what really get's the toms is her… um…' He coughed awkwardly.

Skytail frowned. 'Her what?' She asked, feeling puzzled.

'Well you know her…' Yet again he paused, as if he was embarrassed to say. When it was clear that Skytail wasn't catching on, he blushed a little before speaking. 'Her feminine areas!' He said, quite loudly in fact. Skytail almost glanced around to make sure he hadn't woken anyone up. 'She's curved.'

Skytail thought very hard about this. To be honest, she'd never really had any sexual attention, or thoughts for that matter. True, she'd had an apprentice crush, but she'd never thought about him in that kind of way, and the idea that people payed Silverfur so much attention over her was because of such- such _physical _reasons. It made her feel bitter and angry. _I suppose I'm not._

Once again, the question slipped out of her mouth without her thinking about it. 'I suppose I'm not like that in the same way them right?' She blushed a little at her, just as Amberheart was.

'What makes you think that?'

This comment only provoked her even more. 'You know perfectly well well what makes me think that!' She snapped harshly. 'You can read me like a hunter reads it's prey after all, can't you?'

The redness on Amberheart's face disappeared. His eyes narrowed, and his voice adapted a much lower, colder tone. His personality had taken a swift turn for the worse. 'And who's to say you're not beautiful?'

She laughed, almost spitting at the tom's face. It was an odd argument to be having, but it felt good to be arguing with the tom instead of talking with him like they were best friends. He was a Dark Forest cat! 'No one thinks I'm beautiful.'

There were a few deathly moments of silence, before Amberheart took a small step closer to her. 'I think you are.'

Skytail didn't really know how to respond to that, so in the end, she decided not to. She just ended up gawping at him in shock, surprised and unsure and uncertain. And suddenly, the true meaning of his own words seemed to hit him as well; Amberheart took a massive step backwards.

He was about to speak, but Skytail had already gone.

* * *

**Yes. This chapter was short.**

**But and update was needed- and it's still… reasonably epic, I guess, so it's all cool. Besides, there was quite a lot of content in there to choke down! Especially the ending- and can I just say, before people go mental about how they are going to become mates in the next chapter or whatever, this does not mean they will. To be honest, I haven't even decided if they do become mates yet. And besides, you never know with Amberheart. **

**He's a mysterious cat that you can't really trust or judge in anyway. For all you know, he could be totally manipulating her for his own needs… MUAHAHAHAHAH! :D**

**Hey, he may have seemed all fluffy and sweet in this chapter, but remember the way he spoke to Skytail after they'd gone hunting. He's not entirely mentally stable, clearly. **

**R AND R!**


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